A joint delegation of two groups from our "Student Leadership" program, one from Jerusalem and the other from New York, visited another peer group based in Budapest for a week of social Judaism. Over the course of the past year, all three groups studied independently about social issues relevant to their community, dealt with their own Jewish identity and became active in their neighborhoods.

The delegations met for the first time in January during a visit to Jerusalem. The students discussed social issues in today's Israeli society and how Jewish identity is manifested in each of their communities, from a comparative perspective.

While in Budapest, the students studied about the Jewish community in Hungary and their uniqueness and difficulties due to the Communist regime that began after the Holocaust and did not allow religious expression. They also learned about Anti-Semitism in Hungary, the lives of the Gypsies as minorities, etc.

In recent years, young Jews from Hungary have been facing their own Jewish identity and what it means to them. A significant number of them have become aware of their religious affiliation only as young adults!

The meeting was fascinating and emotional and was able to shed some light on the meaning of Jewish identity around the world and solidarity between Jewish communities.

The Jewish Student Leadership Program at Memizrach Shemesh aims to raise social awareness among students in Israel, preparing them for community work and helping them to learn about the relationship between Judaism and social justice.

Currently, the program has 12 groups consisting of 150 students.

For more details please visit us at: www.mizrach.org.il